Sliced or diced, they’re good for you: 10 Health benefits of beets

Red beets may be an acquired taste, but there’s no denying that these nutritious root vegetables offer many health benefits. Whether you add them to smoothies or savory dishes, beets offer various benefits, such as improving your digestion and boosting heart health.

Beets (Beta vulgaris) are root vegetables that look like turnips. They have rough outer skins that cover their roots, plus long green stems and leaves.

Cutting beets produces a red juice that could stain your hand. This pigment is used as a natural alternative to commercial food colorings and is often used in food products like candy, jams, and plant-based burgers.

Phytonutrients called betalains are responsible for beets’ bright red hue. Betanin and vulgaxanthin, two of the most popular betalains, possess incredible anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties.

Beets are anti-inflammatory.

Inflammation is linked to certain health conditions like cancer, heart disease, and obesity.

Betalains help minimize inflammation by inhibiting the inflammatory signaling process.

Beets can improve your digestion.

Fiber-rich beets are good for your gut health.

The fiber content of beets isn’t digested in your stomach and small intestine. Instead, beet fiber travels to the colon and “good” gut bacteria ferment it and use it for food.

Fiber is a good source of roughage, which moves food through the intestines. Consuming fiber-rich foods prevents health problems like acid reflux, colon cancer, constipation, hemorrhoids, and obesity.

Beets improve brain health.

An interruption in nitric oxide pathways is linked to various cognitive diseases. Nitrates in beets boost brain function by improving oxygen flow.

Beets boost heart health.

Vegetables like beets, carrots, and spinach are full of compounds called nitrates.

Nitrates are converted into nitric oxide inside the body. Nitric oxide helps open up blood vessels, which then lowers blood pressure and heart rate. Beets and other plants that are naturally rich in nitrates are also full of vitamin C.

In a study published in the journal Hypertension, researchers found that consuming at least one cup of beetroot juice daily for four weeks helps lower blood pressure.